ABS Plastic Molding

Generic Class

ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene)

Typical Applications For ABS Plastic molding

Automotive (instrument and interior trim panels, glove compartment doors, wheel covers, mirror housings, etc.), refrigerators, small appliance housings and power tools applications (hair dryers, blenders, food processors, lawnmowers, instrument, electronic plastic tool etc.), telephone housings, typewriter housings, typewriter keys, and recreational vehicles such as golf carts and jet skis.

Injection Molding Processing Conditions

ABS Plastic molding Drying	ABS resins are hygroscopic and drying is required prior to processing. Suggested drying conditions are 80 - 90 C (176 - 195 F) for a minimum of 2 hours. Resin moisture content should be less than 0.1%
Melt Temperature	200 - 280 C (392 - 536 F); Aim: 230 C (446 F)
Mold Temperature	25 - 80 C (77 - 176 F). (Mold temperatures control the gloss properties; lower mold temperatures produce lower gloss levels)
Resin Injection Pressure	500 - 1,000 bar (7,250 - 14,500 psi)
Injection Speed	Moderate - high

Chemical and Physical Properties for ABS Plastic Molding

ABS is produced by a combination of three monomers: acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. Each of the monomers impart different properties: hardness, chemical and heat resistance from acrylonitrile; processibility, gloss, and strength from styrene; and toughness and impact resistance from butadiene. Morphologically, ABS is an amorphous resin.
The polymerization of the three monomers produces a terpolymer which has two phases: a continuous phase of styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) and a dispersed phase of polybutadiene rubber. The properties of ABS are affected by the ratios of the monomers and molecular structure of the two phases. This allows a good deal of flexibility in product design and consequently, there are hundreds of grades available in the market. Commercially available grades offer different characteristics such as medium to high impact, low to high surface gloss, and high heat distortion.
ABS offers superior processibility, appearance, low creep and excellent dimensional stability, and high impact strength.

Major Manufacturers for ABS resin

Dow Chemical (Magnum grades), GE Plastics (Cycolac), Bayer (Lustran), BASF (Terluran), Chi Mei (Polylac), LG Chemical (Lupos), Cheil Synthesis.